Daily Times

So strong-willed are the guardians of morality in our unfortunate society that they seem to have stopped paying attention to their own sanctimonious banter. Last week, a couple was gunned down inside a mosque’s courtyard as a consequence of committing the unforgivable crime of marrying for love. That little regard was shown to the age-old custom of acknowledging sanctuaries taken in places of worship rubs salt and lemon into the festering wounds of religious hypocrisy.

The patriarchal curse refuses to die down. Elsewhere in Karachi, a man felt entitled enough to shoot dead his sister-in-law for allegedly tarnishing the family’s name and even his brother (the victim’s husband) because he dared step between a raging gun and the so-called vessel of honour. No official outlawing or strengthening of the law with stringent punishments has yet proven successful.

Although legislation hit headlines as revolutionary or historic in siding with the women (the usual victims), ineffective implementation and the glaring flaws in the trials that follow have only helped in establishing a culture of impunity. Nothing more, nothing else. According to data compiled by human rights foundations, an overwhelming number of 217 people, including 152 women, were killed in the so-called honour-related crimes last year in just one province (Sindh).

Because only a fraction of the incidents are reported out of fear of the family’s reputation, the actual problem is believed to be far more staggering. It is deeply troubling that Pakistani men, even those sitting in the highest echelons of power, believe in tooting the horn of a “moral family system.”

Former prime minister Imran Khan drew the ire far and wide with problematic remarks pertaining to “immoral mannerisms” making inroads into the traditional culture. Since the authorities refuse to even acknowledge gender-based violence, it is high time the society finds the courage within to unleash a new era of change. We have ample evidence from India and China where local movements gained momentum to pull the breaks on controversial practices of sati and foot binding. Like it or not, the ball is in our court. *